Bled or Ljubljana?

Bled actually has a swimming life of its own. In summer the lake is warm enough for real swims from the lido below the castle cliff, the shallow western end at Velika Zaka and rocks along the shore path, and some people swim out to the island. Colder, wilder Bohinj is half an hour away.

From Ljubljana, swimming means the Sava on the city's edge, a drive to the same Alpine lakes, or a day on the coast at Piran, where the shore is concrete platforms and pebble rather than sand. Neither has a beach in the usual sense, but only Bled lets you swim straight from your room.

Ljubljana is much the better place to eat. Its riverside Central Market, gostilna inns serving štruklji, jota and Carniolan sausage, a few ambitious modern kitchens and wine bars pouring Brda, Vipava and orange wines give enough variety for most of a week.

Bled has its famous kremšnita on a lakeside terrace, and after that mostly hotel dining rooms, pizzerias and inns aimed at day visitors. The best meals near Bled are in farm inns in the valleys around it, or in the capital.

Ljubljana offers far more to see. Plečnik's bridges, colonnades, embankments and library shape the whole centre, around baroque churches, Secession façades and the castle on its hill, with the National Gallery, modern art and the murals of Metelkova adding to two or three good days.

Bled's sights are fewer but make one memorable picture: the clifftop castle with its small museum and printing workshop, the pletna boat to the island church and its wishing bell, and the old spa villas along the shore. All of it fits easily into one day.

Neither is a party town, but only Ljubljana has evenings at all. Terraces line both banks of the Ljubljanica, students keep things lively in term time, and Metelkova's scruffy clubs run late at weekends.

In Bled the night is a drink by the lake, a walk along the lit shore and bed. There is no club, and anyone wanting more takes the bus to the capital.

Both put serious mountains within easy reach, but Bled has them on its doorstep. From the village you can walk the level lake circuit, climb to Ojstrica and Osojnica for the view over the island, or follow the walkways through Vintgar Gorge just to the north. Bohinj, the Savica waterfall, the high pastures of Pokljuka and winter skiing at Vogel are all about half an hour away.

Ljubljana is remarkable for a capital. Tivoli's wooded hills, the quick climb up Šmarna Gora and flat cycling across the marshes start from town, and it reaches further afield too, with Velika Planina in the Kamnik-Savinja Alps to the north and the karst caves to the south-west. The Julian Alps are about an hour away, though, so every day in the high mountains starts with a drive.

Ljubljana has the wider range because it sits in the middle of the country. Idrija, Lipica, the Postojna and Škocjan karst and the Brda wine villages are all within reach. Trieste and Zagreb add two other countries, and buses and trains reach the main places.

Bled is better placed for the northwest. Radovljica, Kropa and Škofja Loka are close, Ljubljana is under an hour away, and the Wörthersee towns in Austria are just through the Karawanks tunnel. Piran and Postojna make for longer days out from here.

Bled is slightly better for active families. Rowing to the island, ringing the bell, swimming from shallow lidos, the toboggan run and rope park on Straža and the Vintgar walkways make for full summer days, but rain leaves little to do.

Ljubljana is easier than it is exciting. The car-free centre suits pushchairs, the funicular and the Dragon Bridge go down well, and the modest zoo, the science centre and the puppet theatre give it more to fall back on when the weather turns.

Ljubljana is the simpler base without a car. Its pedestrianised centre is walkable in about 20 minutes, electric shuttles and bike share help on the flat, and it is the hub of the intercity bus network.

Bled is easy on foot around the lake, and buses run to Ljubljana and Bohinj. However, the trailheads, Pokljuka, the Vršič pass and the Soča valley are poorly served, so many visitors hire a car and then struggle to park in summer.

Neither is a shopping destination, but Ljubljana at least has some. There is honey, pumpkin-seed oil and coastal salt at the market, Idrija lace, a Sunday antiques market on the embankment and small design boutiques around Trubarjeva street.

Bled has a handful of lakeside stalls selling painted beehive panels, honey and postcards, and little beyond a small supermarket.

Ljubljana works out a little cheaper day to day. Set lunch menus at the inns, fairly priced local wine and a walkable centre keep costs down, although central rooms in July and August are expensive.

In Bled you pay for the view at lakeside hotels and terraces, and the island boat, the castle and the gorge all charge entry. However, the trails and viewpoints are free, and sleeping in Radovljica, Bohinj or the lakeside campsite brings the bill down.

Ljubljana has a proper cultural calendar for its size. The Slovenian Philharmonic, the National Opera and Ballet, year-round programmes at Cankarjev dom and the summer festival in Plečnik's Križanke courtyard make an evening out easy, though most theatre is in Slovene.

Bled has no venue at all, only the odd summer concert in the castle or a church and folk evenings for visitors. A night at the opera from Bled means the bus to Ljubljana.

Bled is the more restful stay. It began as Rikli's nineteenth-century air and sun cure, and several lakeside hotels have spas and pools fed by the warm springs at the lake's eastern end. Mostly, though, it is the slow rhythm of early walks around still water and quiet evenings under the mountains.

Ljubljana offers a big water park with saunas on its edge and a calm, green, car-free centre with long café afternoons. For real thermal bathing, though, you need to drive out to the spa towns.